


you are great

by chrobins



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Hugs, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-27
Updated: 2017-01-27
Packaged: 2018-09-20 04:29:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,329
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9475748
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chrobins/pseuds/chrobins
Summary: inspired by this fanart!herelance doubts his skills as a paladins and needs a hug to boost him up





	

“Hey Blue...am I a good paladin?” Lance doesn't expect an answer from the lion, and doesn't receive one. “I mean...everyone has a.. _thing_ . Hunk is the awesome cook...Shiro is an amazing leader...Pidge is good at anything with technology, and Keith is always doing cool things; he fights and flies better than anyone I know…” Lance pauses, letting the words come out naturally despite his fear of it being true, “but what about me? Do I have a... _thing_ ? Am I...trustworthy and reliable?” Lance feels his eyes sting at the corners. “Am I... _replaceable_?”

 

The words that tumble out of his lips feel like the truth. They're as real as the tears that stream down his face, where the night sky from an unfamiliar planet turn into a blur of never ending darkness, the tiny stars and planets swallowed up by the enormity of nothingness. _Replaceable._ Lance feels swallowed up by his peers, like a tiny, dull star. Just a blink, and it's gone.  

 

“Keith and I are always bickering...but, Shiro thinks he's a better paladin. Even Shiro, the smartest and strongest person I know, favors Keith over me.” Lance tries to laugh through his sobs. “That's just it, right Blue?” Again, the lion doesn't react. “If I weren't here...if it were someone else...would they be better off? Without me?” Lance takes the silence as a stiff yes. It was less of a rude awakening, and more of a recurring nightmare finally coming true. Lance had an inkling in the back of his mind, slowly taunting Lance through all of their battles, their moments of bonding, of suffering... _do I really belong?_

 

As Lance curls into a ball, he feels no warmth. He feels utterly alone as he weeps into his palms, cheeks red, not even a tissue to wipe them away.

 

* * *

 

 

“Lance?” The blue paladin jumps at the sound of his name, sitting up and quickly wiping his tears away, hoping the darkness could hide the puffy redness around his eyes. “What’s wrong?”  
  
_What’s wrong?_ Lance wants to laugh bitterly at the question Shiro poses as he gets closer to Lance. “I’m fine. I...just needed a bit of fresh air.”

 

For a moment, Lance thinks Shiro buys it. But Shiro doesn’t. “Lance...I got a distress signal from the blue lion…” _Traitor_ , Lance thinks bitterly. “Are you sure you’re alright?” Shiro kneels down to get a closer look and Lance can’t bring himself to look back. “Were you attacked?” Shiro asks, though his voice wavers as if he already knows the answer. “Do you...want to talk about it?”

 

“Not really.” Lance offers a crooked smile, lips twitching. “I’m fine. Really.”

 

Shiro frowns; he’s never been good at emotional thoughts. He can barely keep check on his own; he had no skills to deal with someone else’s. “Keith will be here soon...he was the first to come out looking for you.”

 

“Keith?” Lance asks, voice breaking, unbelieving of Shiro’s words.

 

“Mhm. Pidge and Hunk stayed behind in case you got to the castle before we found you. Allura was trying to track you down with the castle...but I guess communications between lions is a bit faster…” Shiro offers a soft smile, though it wavers. “Coran was getting one of the pods ready in case...you needed it.”

 

The gravity of his departure is felt heavily on the rest of the paladins and allies, which makes Lance feel a little sick to his stomach. “Really?” Not more than a few seconds later does Lance _feel_ the red lion approaching, can feel the worry Shiro gives off, can tell how erratic Keith flies in order to reach his hiding spot. It definitely feels real at the sloppy landing of the red lion, and the urgent scrambling of Keith’s feet against the ground, the loud footsteps becoming closer.

 

“Lance!” Keith calls out, nearly stumbling on the opposite side of Lance, one hand on his shoulder. His dark eyes quickly scan for any immediate injuries Lance might have. “Are you alright? What happened? Was it the Galra? Bounty hunters? Thieves? Evil pretty girls?” Lance almost laughs at the last part.

 

“No...it was an equally pretty paladin...and...a head full of troubles.” It takes Keith a few seconds before he understands the pretty paladin is not himself. His lips form into an “o” shape.

 

“Lance…” Shiro begins, eventually sitting down next to the worried paladin, a hand resting comfortable on Lance’s shoulder. “Whatever it is that’s troubling you...we can help. We’re the paladins of Voltron...we’re the defenders of the universe.” Shiro smiles. “Space cops on space patrol.” It takes him a moment, but Lance does laugh, loud and unsuspecting to himself. The mood lightens a little. “We’re...your friends. And we’ll always be here for you.”

 

Lance smiles. “Thank you…” He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath; Shiro’s hand is warm against his shoulder, and he can feel Keith’s outer thigh pressing against his own. The tears fall without warning again. “Am I...a good paladin?” He asks, voice soft. “Am I...reliable?” Lance bites his lip. “Am I...replaceable?”

 

The silence is deafening; Shiro feels Lance words weigh on him like tons of bricks. Keith feels the same, frozen in place. “You are...the paladin of the blue lion…” Keith says first. “You...adapted to the lions better than any of us. You saved an entire civilization of mermaids almost nearly by yourself. You’ve saved our lives so many times, I can’t count.”

 

“You are _not_ replaceable, Lance.” Shiro adds, squeezing Lance’s shoulder. “You are _amazing._ You are... _great._ You are the paladin of the blue lion...and nothing will change that. No one else could fill your shoes. No one else could bond with us like you. No one can tell jokes like you.” Shiro smiles and leans into his ear. “No one is a better shot than you.”

 

“Agreed.” Keith admits with a huff, tossing the competitive edge between them aside. “You are reliable.”

Utterly humbled by his fellow paladins words, part of him wants to cry from the sheer joy, the uplifting of his heart by his leader and his rival. The other half of him doesn’t want to cry anymore; he wants to show them how much better they had made him feel. “Shiro…” Lance sucks in a sharp breath, voice slightly higher than a weeze. “Keith…”

 

Shiro shifts and coughs into his hand. “Um…” He coughs again. “I...would you like a hug?” He blurts out, leaving the other two teens wide-eyed. “I mean...if you’d like.”

 

“F-from...both of you?” Lance asks, a little embarrassed by the way his voice cracks.

 

Keith doesn’t respond until Shiro glares at him. “Y-yes, of course. A hug.”

 

“Good.” Shiro huffs, reaching one arm around Lance’s back, reaching to draw Keith in as well. They hug in a circle, trapping Lance in an embrace of two muscled paladins. There’s no escape...not that Lance inherently wants to. He feels…

 

“Loved. You are loved, Lance.” Shiro says, his hand reaching up to pat the back of Lance’s head in a reassuring manner.

 

Keith echoes this movement with his face in Lance’s neck. Part of him is embarrassed by such an...open display of affection, especially towards Lance. But, it’s not terrible. It’s not bad at all. It’s warming. “You don’t have to keep beating yourself up like this.” He takes a deep breath. “You have...us.”

 

They don’t move, save for the rise and fall of their chests, save for Lance’s trembling hands to reach up and take a hold of each arm encircling his body. He can feels their hot breaths fanning over his skin, and feels his body betray him again. His mind eventually gives up his battles, and the tears start falling again. Only this time, at least, he has Keith’s jacket to wipe them off. And, surprisingly, Keith does not complain.

 

**Author's Note:**

> if y'all like, would any of y'all be interested in some shiro/keith/lance body worship? uwu
> 
> please tell me what you thought!


End file.
